Greater Whitethroat
Curruca communis
Found in open, scrubby habitats from coastal heaths, open woodlands, and low hedges to bramble thickets on waste ground. Rather retiring, like most warblers, but jerky climbing display flight often draws attention. Also gives its burbling, buzzing song from a perch. Often gives a rising, sparrow-like “weet, weet.” Plumage brownish overall with bright rusty wings; grayer head has narrow whitish eyering and sets off white throat, which often looks a little puffy.
识别特征
This is one of several Curruca species that has distinct male and female plumages. Both sexes are mainly brown above and buff below, with chestnut fringes to the secondary remiges. The adult male has a grey head and a white throat. The female lacks the grey head, and the throat is duller.<p>The whitethroat's song is fast and scratchy, with a scolding tone. The hoarse, slightly nasal, call sounds like wed-wed or woid-woid. The warning cry is long-pulled, rough tschehr which resembles that of the Dartford warbler.
分类信息
The English ornithologist John Latham described the common whitethroat in 1783 in his A General Synopsis of Birds but introduced the binomial name Sylvia communis in the supplement to this work which was published in 1787. The specific communis is Latin for "common". The common whitethroat is now placed in the genus Curruca that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1802.<p>This species may appear to be closely related to the lesser whitethroat, the species having evolved only during the end of the last ice age similar to the willow warbler and chiffchaffs. However, researchers found the presence of a white throat is an unreliable morphological marker for relationships in Curruca, and the greater and lesser whitethroats are not closely related. A molecular phylogenetic study of the Sylviidae published in 2011 found that within the genus Curruca the common whitethroat and the lesser whitethroat are members of different clades and are thus not sister species.<p>Four subspecies are recognised:
- 学名
- Curruca communis
- 命名信息
- (Latham, 1787)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Sylviidae
- 属
- Curruca
分布与栖息地
This is a bird of open country and cultivation, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3–7 eggs are laid. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous, but will also eat berries and other soft fruit.<p>In Europe, western and eastern populations of common whitethroats have contrasting moulting and pre-migratory fueling strategies to capitalise on food supplies before departing their breeding and non-breeding grounds.
- 繁殖区
- PAL : widespread
- 非繁殖区
- AF
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- rising
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Common Hill Myna
Gracula religiosa
Glossy black myna with bright yellow head wattles. Also note bright candlewax-orange bill and white wing patches that are most apparent in flight. A species of mature humid forest and forest edge, often seen in pairs or small flocks flying between or perched up in tall trees. Famed for its wide repertoire: gives a myriad of screams, squeaks, chirps, and whistles. Threatened by its popularity in the cage bird trade.
Fraser's Eagle-Owl
Ketupa poensis
Medium-sized rufous-brown owl, with long ear tufts. Note the dark eyes, rufous face, and cleanly barred underparts. Found in and around humid forest. The main vocalization is a long, haunting whistle that first rises, then falls and fades. Secondary vocalization is a low, rapid, pulsating series of hoots. Similar in shape to Akun Eagle-Owl, but has dark rather than yellow eyes, more rufous coloration, and cleaner markings on the underparts. Also similar to Spotted Eagle-Owl, but much more richly colored, with darker eyes.
African Blue Flycatcher
Elminia longicauda
A slim, slightly crested flycatcher with a long tail that is often fanned. Uniformly blue, including the tail, with slightly paler underparts. Found in rainforest, gallery forest, lush gardens and woodland, and mangroves. Often joins mixed-species feeding flocks. Similar to White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, but has virtually no overlap in range and is easily separated by its entirely blue tail. The song is a long, complex mix of high-pitched warbling and chattering notes, and the call is a ringing “chi-wee.”
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